Do you how much metal is in your Smartphone?

Smartphone has become a lifeline of a human being. According to the Digital 2021 July Global Statshot Report, globally there are 5.27 billion unique mobile users i.e. approx. 66.9% of the world population. This smartphone constitutes approx. 79%  which is 6.40 billion devices.

The number speaks it loud and clear that smartphone demand is growing and discarded devices have increased. Recycling is an answer to the problem yet many other metals contribute to the components.

Recycling is the need and in this 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it has been proven that if an effort is taken we can work towards a sustainable future. According to the report 6.1 million cell phones were recycled to create Olympic medals.

What are metals present in a Smartphone?

To understand what is inside, it is required to revise the periodic table.

A smartphone is more than plastic, glass, copper and ceramics. The following are the metals used:

• Copper: Used for wires and PCB (printed circuit boards)
• Aluminium: Used as a shielding plate to shield the electronics from the electromagnetic radiation coming from the antenna.
• Iron: Used for all screws.
• Palladium: Used for the contact surfaces between individual components
• Silver: Used in the conductive tracks of the printed circuit board.
• Gold: Used for the smartphone’s contacts on a SIM card and on the battery.
• Cobalt: Used for the battery.
• Tantalum: Used as a capacitor.
• Tin: Used as solder that connects the components to the copper layer of the board.
• Gallium: Used in LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as backlighting of the display or camera light.
• Indium: Used for LCDs.

A Smartphone: Mini Earth

Our smartphone is mini-earth in itself which not only connects people however even the countries to get the raw materials. The next war would be due to a smartphone either for data or to produce one.

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